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MLS Analysis

MLS Youth Report: Bombino & McGlynn move, Philly youth shine, Eliis impresses, & More

ASN's Brian Sciaretta goes into detail about how young Americans amd U.S. youth internationals continue to perform in MLS in 2026
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
August 31, 2026
12:00 PM

IT WAS ANOTHER busy weekend for U.S. youth internationals in MLS as we saw big performances from players on Philadelphia, Orlando, and New England. We also saw yet another U.S. youth international on the move as well as a prominent USYNT veteran.

For now, let’s break it all down. We will start with the transfers.

 

Bombino & McGlynn to Stoke?

 

This has been a busy summer regarding moving American players into and out of MLS and it looks like two more big moves are about to happen just before the deadline as the Athletic is reporting that both Luca Bombino and Jack McGlynn are heading to Stoke City of the English Championship.

Bombino, 20, is a left back at San Diego FC and is a strong contender to be the starter for the U.S. Olympic team as he has impressed with SDFC since joining the club at the start of the 2025 season (at first on loan from Los Angeles and later on a permanent move).

McGlynn, 23, has played well since moving from Philadelphia to Houston last year. In Texas, he has helped the Dynamo move to become one of the top teams in the Western Conference. The Dynamo have long since wanted to show they could still sell American to Europe and have now done that.

While no longer a U.S. youth international, McGlynn is a veteran of the USYNT system and should continue to be in the mix for the full national team.

The question right now is about whether this is a good destination for either. Stoke City has lost its first three games of the Championship season and finished 17th out of 24 in 2025/26.

The hope for both players is that they can help Stoke City stabilize and return to being one of the better teams in the Championship. The club used to be a fixture in the Premier League but has not come close to returning since its 2018 relegation. Since then, it has been a revolving door of managers amid mid-lower half finishes.

There is also the hope that both players can play well and perhaps earn a move upward in Europe. While the Championship has been difficult for Americans to show upward mobility (absent a direct promotion), the trend is that player moving from MLS to the Championship have all been doing very well lately. Therefore, historical data of American players in the Championship might not be relevant anymore.

There is no shortage of Championship teams scouting MLS for talent lately and Stoke City is getting two good players. But Stoke City is paying significantly for these players, the MLS market is showing a lot more value.

But looking at Stoke City’s situation, expect both players to play a lot of minutes quickly after their arrival is formalized.

 

Philadelphia’s youth shine vs. RBNY

 

When looking at this week’s MLS Youth Report, there is only one place to begin. That is in New Jersey where six top U.S. youth internationals started (as expected) in a matchup between Philadelphia and the New York Red Bulls.

Cavan Sullivan, 16, Neil Pierre, 18, and Frankie Westfield, 20, all started for the Philadelphia Union while Adri Mehetmi, 17, Julian Hall, 18, and Matthew Dos Santos, 18, all started for the New York Red Bulls.

The bottom line is that Philadelphia’s young trio continued to shine brightly, as they have ever since the league resumed play following the World Cup.

Sullivan scored his third MLS goal of the season (and in his second consecutive game) when he took a lovely ball from Danley Jean Jacques and then cut through the Red Bull defense easily before beating Ethan Horvath.

 

Then in the 65th minute, it was Pierre who put the Union up 3-0 with his fourth set piece goal of the season (he only made his season debut following the restart after the World Cup) when he got on the end of a delivery from Bruno Damani. What is particularly impressive about Pierre is not his set piece excellence, but that he is adjusting well into his 6’7” frame and is cutting down on his defensive mistakes.

But Pierre is living up to expectations of him being one of the top young players in the league.

Meanwhile, Westfield did not factor into any goal contribution but played well in a full 90 shift at right back.

All three of the Philadelphia Union trio have U.S. national team potential, sooner than later. But all three might be in line to start for the U.S. Olympic team.

Philadelphia is one the rise where it is being led by its young players, and savvy veterans such as Milan Illoski and Andre Blake. Interim head coach Ryan Richter should be in strong consideration to get the full-time job.

 

Meanwhile, the Red Bulls are a sinking ship. It is admirable that head coach Michael Bradely is willing to play young players, but it really doesn’t mean much if there is not a winning edge to go along with it. This team is just a step behind right now. They are miraculously still above the playoff line, but that shouldn’t hold much longer as a road trip now awaits.  

In this game, Julian Hall missed a great chance off the crossbar, Matthew Dos Santos was caught out of position on Sullivan’s goal. Mehetmit had some nice moments on the ball but did not have a chance to help out his team.

MLS needs to be a league that features young players and helps them progress in their careers. But putting players aimlessly onto the field without a roster to support them doesn’t help in their development, doesn’t excite the fans, and doesn’t help the teams grow. Michael Bradley might be a good coach, but the Red Bull philosophy does not seem to put much of a priority about being competitive in this league.

 

Ellis assists in Orlando draw

 

Orlando isn’t playing great, but the team is improving after its poor start and its coaching change. With the team’s 3-3 draw with Minnesota over the weekend, Orlando is still above the playoff line.

Justin Ellis, 18, started and assisted Antoine Griezmann on his second goal. But the Florida native had a very good overall performance and he featured mostly on the right wing/midfield to allow for both Griezmann and Dike to start up top. This is not his main position yet, but Ellis is showing a high ceiling with his versatility.

 

The U.S. U-20 attacker has three goals and two assists in just 352 MLS minutes this season.

 

Raines & Miller impress vs. Columbus

 

The New England Revolution defeated Columbus 3-1 in Ohio in a convincing performance on Sunday. The win kept the Revs in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Brooklyn Raines continued his very impressive season with a strong performance. He is one of the more underrated American prospects in the league and should be in line to contend for a starting job on the Olympic team. In this game, he went 90 minutes and he played a large role in helping the Revs win control of the midfield.

Meanwhile, Petyon Miller played all 90 minutes at left wing for the Revolution and picked up his fourth assist of the season when he set up Carles Gil for the final goal of the game in the 79th minute.

 

Also of note is that U.S. Olympic team hopeful Ethan Kohler went 90 minutes in central defense for the Revolution where he did not stand out much for either good or bad.

 

Gomez, Brunell, Hawkins play well for Seattle

 

The Seattle Sounders are dealing with a wave of injuries right now and that has opened the door for several young players to get extended looks. Such was the case in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with the Chicago Fire.

U.S. U-20 central midfielder Snyder Brunell went 57 minutes in central midfield for the Sounders. It has not always been smooth or easy for Brunell and some of his performances have been uneven. But ultimately his is impressing more often than not, and in this game he was mostly positive despite playing less than an hour. He left with his team up 2-1

Sebastian Gomez, 20, played 69 minutes at right wing and was one of the most dangerous players in the game. He had 12 touches in the Chicago box, created multiple chances, won 8/11 of his ground duels, completed 24/26 of his passes, and assisted on Dejan Joveljic’s opening goal.

 

Midweek, the Sounders spent $6 million to acquire Joveljic from Sporting Kansas City and it looks like money well spent that should help everyone on Seattle.

Finally, Stuart Hawkins, 19, went 90 minutes for Seattle in central defense. He had four interceptions, four clearances, won 2/2 of his aerials, and 3/4 of his ground duels.

Brunell seems like a lock to make the U.S. U-20 World Cup team if released. Gomez and Hawkins have work to do in order to make the Olympic team. But starting and playing for Seattle will give them the platform to be invited to camps.

 

Baker-Whiting assists for red-hot Nashville

 

Reed Baker-Whiting stood out for Nashville in a convincing 4-0 win over Cincinnati. Nashville is now clearly the best team in the Eastern Conference. Baker-Whiting, 21, went 90 minutes at right back and assisted on the final goal of the game in stoppage time when he set up Ahmed Qasem.

Baker-Whiting is turning into a great pickup for Nashville as he is excelling on both sides of the ball. He should be in direct competition with Frankie Westfield for a spot on the Olympic team. That team is only 18 players, which makes it a tough team to make. But starting for the league’s top team is a great platform.

 

Matthew Corcoran did not start, which is unusual, but he came off the bench in the 61st minute with Nashville up 2-0. The 20-year-old central midfielder is another young American who has taken big strides this season and should be in the hunt for an Olympic spot.

 

Shaw scores in Miami win

 

Inter Miami blasted Montreal 7-1 in a game that should have embarrassed the Canadian team. Of course, Miami’s veterans led the way with Lionel Messi scoring four, Luis Suarez scoring once, and Casemiro scoring one as well.

But Inter Miami always seems to manage to get smaller contributions from young players along the way. Daniel Pinter and Preston Plambeck have both scored since the restart after the World Cup. In this game, however, it was Alex Shaw, 18, who scored the final goal of the game. It was his first MLS goal and the midfielder recently returned to the team after helping the U.S. U-20 team qualify for the 2027 World Cup.

 

 

Other notes around the league

 

San Diego defeated the LA Galaxy 3-1. With Luca Bombino now on his way out, San Diego still had a USYNT player in its starting XI as Oscar Verehoven went 90 minutes at right back. For the Galaxy, U.S. U-20 right back Harbor Miller went 73 minutes. Neither Verhoeven nor Miller stood out much in this game.

The San Jose Earthquakes managed to stop its defensive meltdown in a 0-0 draw with the Houston Dynamo. Likely U.S. Olympic team playmaker Niko Tsakiris still looks rusty for the Quakes as he went 89 minutes in the draw. He still has not looked close to peak form since his return from injury.

Vancouver cruised to an easy 3-0 away win over the hapless Sporting Kansas City. Take Johnson was relatively solid in his 74 minutes at left back in the win. Johnson rarely stands out but is generally always consistently solid.

Aidan Herzakhani played 64 minutes for Real Salt Lake, which continues to sink after its third loss in a row.

U.S. U-20 midfielder Cooper Sanchez played the full 90 for Atlanta United in a 2-0 loss to Charlotte.

Finally, Jude Terry played the final 13 minutes for LAFC in a 0-0 draw with DC United.

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